A releaseable hook for a rope or line is sometimes positioned on a barge or on a platform such as an oil well platform or a docking platform.
A barge or a number of barges are often loaded with refuse or other material and towed out into the ocean. If the barge is loaded with refuse and towed out into the ocean the refuse is dumped into the ocean. Once in awhile the water is so rough in the ocean that it is dangerous to have the barge or barges attached to a towing vessel and it is necessary to release the barges from the towing vessel. The water may be rough with dangerous waves. With a manual release hook on the barge or barges it is necessary for an individual to travel from the towing vessel to the barge or barges and release the manual release hook to allow the tow line to release. Again, the operator traveling from the towing vessel to the barge or barges must travel over rough water with dangerous waves. A further handicap is there may be poor visibility between the towing vessel and the barge because of a storm and rain or fog because of darkness. It is my understanding that some operators have been lost at sea and, presumably, drowned while trying to release the releaseable hook on the barge.
Similarily, an oil well platform or a docking platform out in a body of water has a release hook. At times it is necessary, with a manual release hook, for an operator to travel to the platform. The comments with respect to dangerous waves and poor visibility as above stated for a barge are also applicable with respect to the platform. It is dangerous for an operator to travel over the rough water to the platform to manually release the release hook.
A further disadvantage associated with the manual release hook is an inherent possibility of injuring the operator. With the rope or cable around the release hook an operator must manually release the hook. This means that the operator stands fairly close to the hook and must stand close to the pedestal and/or the frame for the release hook. The operator, in releasing the lock for locking the release hook in position, is close to the release hook and the rope or cable rotates the release hook rapidly. The rapidly rotating release hool hits the stop or brake and rotates in the opposite direction. Also, the frame holding the release hook may rotate around the support pedestal. The operator near the frame and the support pedestal may be hurt by the rapidly rotating release hook and/or may be hurt by the rotating frame. Therefore, the releasing of the release hook at a remote position is desirable as there is less possibility of the operator being injured.
The releasing of a manual release hook on a barge or a platform in inclement weather can be a dangerous undertaking and, unfortunately, can result in the death of the operator. The transportation of the operator from the home base such as the on shore home base for the oil well platform or the buoy or from the home base such as a tug boat pulling the barge can be dangerous. The travelling from the home base to the oil well platform or the barge can be one whereby the operator may drown due to capsizing of the boat. With the releasing of the release hook at the home base, without the necessity of the operator travelling from the home base to the oil well platform or barge, means that there is less possibility of the operator being hurt or killed. Therefore, the remote releasing of the release hool has desirable side effects with respect to the elimination of injury or death to the operator.